Machine for cutting cane.



No. 724,345. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903. T. W. SLOANE.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING CANE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 19- 1901.

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No. 724,345. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903. T. W. SLOANE.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING CANE.

\ APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1901. I

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PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903.

E N A nu L S W T MACHINE FOR CUTTING CANE.

'APPLIOATIONITILED JUNE 19, 1901.

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PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903.

T. W. SLOANE.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING CANE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1901.

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MA'CLHINJEVFOR CUTTING CANE.

SPECIFICATIOihT forming part of Iietters' Patent No. 724,345, dated March 31, 1903.

1 Application filed June 19,1901.

T0 at whom it may concern: 7

Be it, known that I, THOMAS WILSON SLOANE, a subject of the King of Great Brit ain, residing at School Lane, East Bundaberg, in the county of Cook, State of Queensland, and Commonwealth of Australia, have inv Vented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Cane, (for whichl. have applied for a patent in Queensland, No. 5,866, filed January 28, 1901,) ofwhich the following is a description.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting sugar-cane whereby the double operation of cutting the cane at the top and at the root can be effectively carried out whether the crop be standing up or procumbent.

The machine is built on a tubular framework and is'open in the front half, each side of which has a carrying and driving-wheel belt driven at a suitable speedsay from about one or two miles an hou r-from an oil. or other motor placed over two steeringwheels at the rear of the machine. In the center of the front gap is a plo w 1ike spreader which parts the cane and bends the stools laterally and forward, so that 'the tops are dragged past guide-rollers and against vertically-reciprocating knives fixed on the lateral parts of the frame. At the back of the central gap are two vertical spindles carrying revolving knives that cut the cane close to the ground, the knife-dru ms being capable of sliding on square shafts to accommodate lumps in the ground and enable the operator to cut the cane where desired. The several canes fall on lateral traveling belts and are conveyed to the trucks at the rear. At the'base of the front part are shoes attached to sloping bars which are intended to raise flat lying cane to a cutting position.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation; 'Fig. 2, a plan, a portion of the frame being removed for the" sake of clearness'; and Fig. 3, asection through the line a, b, Fig. 2, illustrating" my improvements. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the groundknives and of conveyor-belts for turning'the ends of the cut cane clear of the shafts or on the elevators, being,'respectively, a side ele- .volving in bearings C Serial No. 65,193. (No model.)

vation and plan. Fig. 6 is a detail of the fixed knives, across which topping knives or blades reciprocate. Figs. 7 and 8 are a side and a front end elevation, respectively, illustratinga modification of topping arrangement and fore carriage. Fig. 9 is a detail of internal belt in Fig. 5.

A is the main frame of the machine; A A the ground-wheels. The wheels A are on separate axles, and each has a clutch A to engage in the boss of the wheels to facilitate the machine being turned around.

B is an oil-engine or other motor, and B B the driving-wheels.

G is the spreader, suspended from the upper frame 0 by the adjustable bars 0 and is secured loosely on the main frame by pins C 0 represents hinged arms provided with pivoted shoes 0 for raising procumbent cane.

C is the adjustable bar or gage for gaging the length of top to be cut off, preferably re The gage C is adjustable in that it can be secured by pins or the like nearer or farther from the reciprocating and fixed toppingknives D D and the distance of the gage from the knives predetermines the length of top to be cut off that is to say, when the gage is set the tops out OK will all be the same or very nearly the same length, although the length of stalks of cane may vary.

In the forward part of the machine an ad- 'j ustable spreader is suspended by adj ustablyperforated links from a center bar above, which is attached at its rear end to the frame (not shown) and at its front end is stayed to v the upper cross-bars. The spreader is formed with three longitudinal bars adjustably bolted at C to the frame. Its front part has an iron point and inclined bars hinged, as at G with adjustable bars 0 as Fig. 2, so thatits width position, are vertical bars or rollers or gages C tal or diagonal cutters.

On the extreme fore ends of the main frame are sloping hinged arms carrying pivoted ground-shoes with the hinges nearer the back than the front, which yield to stones or other hard substances, and thus prevent the arms sticking into the ground as they progress.

The object of the sloping hinged arms is to raise any procumbent'cane and bring it into position to be cut by the topping cutters or knives, and the shoes are to guide the arms under fallen cane;

The cane passes between the spreader and lateral frames as the machine advances and is cut by the revolving ground-knives. The ground knives or cutters for cutting the cane near the root are attached to two disks se- 0 or trucks at the rear, which maybe taken off in broken country.-

The spreader is adjustable vertically by the bars 0 working in slots at O in the upper frame 0 and in the brackets 0. The spreader pushes the cane on each side outwardl y and forwardly,causingthe cane-stalks to come into contact with the gage, which bends and retards them until by the progress of the machine theypass the gage and spring- 0 on the knives D D, where the tops are cut simple.

0%. In short, the spreader is suspended in the recess at the forward end, space being left at each side to allow cane to be forced out by the spreader. A short stalk in a stool passes the gage before a long one in the same stool. An extralongstalk say ten or twelve feetwould not be topped until it was about to be cut at the root by the ground-knives. The lateral adj ustment of the spreader is very The holes in which the pins or bolts 0 are seated are shown in Fig. 2, and there are at least three holes on each side, so that the end of each side piece 0 may also, if necessary, be moved into other holes. The fore part 5 5 of the spreader is also adjustable as to width by means of the arms 0 and is hinged at C ciprocate the knives D in the guides D over the fixed arrow-headed knives D Instead of the knives D shown I may use other outting mechanism.

The ground knives or cutters E, Figs. 4 and 5, are secured on the disks E on telescopic shafts E the said shafts having a I. may, however, provide a horizontal or diagonal gage, and consequently horizon Above the said knives by four or more rods D constructed that they can be adjusted to right square hollow portion E sliding on asquare portion -Ef, raising the knives and disks.

F'F are two short conveyor-belts with crossslats F over the knives E, traveling oppositely (and also oppositely to their corresponding knives) over the small flanged wheels F F on spindles F suspendedv from the main frame .A. The conveyors are driven by a small crossed driving-belt for each set from a pulley on E to F, Fig. 4, said crossed belts being under conveyor-belt F when in opera- .tion, as shown in outline in plan in Fig. 9.

the pulleys G driving the wheels G on the ground-wheels A, and thus propelling the machine.

H is an adjustable guide-rod for turning the cane into a longitudinal position,or lengthwise on the elevator.

J is a hand-wheel, on the spindle of which is a cog-wheel J, gearing with the circle-plate J to guidethe machine.

In Figs. 7 and S the revolving gage and the topping-knives are shown in a diagonal or inclined position, and the construction of forecarriages is slightly modified. Each gage is composed of two disks D provided with central holes to allow it to revolve freely on the rod D, and said disks are connected together The gages are so or left or to the front or rear by adjusting screw-bolts in the slotted. plates D D On the outer sides of the spreader C are endless belts C running on pulleys O and driven by pulleys on the rear end'of the machine. The object of the said belts is to engage with the cane and prevent the spreader from forcing any of the weaker stalks of cane to the ground as the machine progresses. In the said modification I also provide additional frames C pivoted onto each side of the main frame 0 and capable of adjustment to about four inches off the ground by means of the lever 0 On the said frames 0 are carried endless belts G on pulleys 0 the said belts engaging with any cane that the shoes 0 may raise and directing it toward the toppingknives. The pulleys C may be frictionally driven by wheels 0", which latter may be driven by bolts from the front ground-wheels.

The operation of my machine is as follows: On the machine being propelled through a stool of cane the spreader 0 causes a portion of the cane to pass on each side of it and between the fore ends of the main frame, and at the same time any cane lying toward the horizontal is raised by the arms 0 As the cane-stalks pass the spreader the upper ends or tops come into contact with the revolving gages O, which bend them slightly until the machine has traveled a little farther, when IIO It is tobe understood that the machine is the cane are adapted to abut as the machine the cane are adapted to abut as the machine the'cane springs back onto the fixed knives The shape of these knives causes the cane to beheld for an instant, when the reciprocating cutters D cut 0% the tops the predetermined distance whatever the length of the cane may be. The cane (after being topped by the knives D D just before being cut at the root by the ground-knives stands (or is forced) at an angle sloping forwardly and outwardly and on being cut by the knives E rotating in opposite directions falls across the elevator G, and the root ends of the cane rise from the ground (the frame A being low, about fifteen inches) and come into contact with the belts F F, whichcarry the ends of the cane clear of the shafts E and onto the elevators G, at the same time the upper ends of the cane fall on the guides H, which causes the cane to lie lengthwise on the elevators.

progressing through the field all the time.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and t in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that What I claim is- 1. In a machine for cuttingsugar-cane, means for dividing a stool of cane into two parts, a gage against which the upper ends of the cane are adapted to abut as the machine is advanced, mechanism cooperative with the gage for cuttingotf the tops of the cane, and independent mechanism forsubsequently cutting ofi the cane near the ground.

2. In a machine for cutting sugarcane, means for dividing a stool of cane into two parts, a gage against which the upper ends of is advanced, mechanism cooperative with the gage for cutting ofi the tops of the cane, independent mechanism for subsequently cutting ofi the cane near the grou 11d, elevators adapt-. ed to have a traveling movement, and means for directing the cut cane onto said elevators.

3. In a machine for cutting sugar-cane, means for dividing a stool of cane into two parts, a gage against which the upper endsof is advanced, mechanism cooperative with the gage for cutting off the tops of the cane, independent mechanism for subsequently cutting off the cane near the ground, elevators adapted to have a traveling movement, means for directing the cut cane onto said elevators, and means for putting the caneinto longitudinal positionwhen it reaches the elevators.

4. In a machine for cutting sugar-cane, a laterally and vertically adjustable spreader arranged to divide a stool of cane into two parts orbranches, a gage against which-the upper ends of the cane are adapted to abut as the machine is advanced, mechanism oooperative with the gage for cutting off the tops of the-cane, and independent means for subsequently cutting off the cane near the ground. 5. In a machine for cutting sugar-cane,

means for dividing a stool of cane into two parts or branches, a gage against which the upper ends of the cane are adapted to abut as the machine advances, said gage being rotatably and laterally adjustable, mechanism cooperative with the gage for cutting off the tops of the cane, and independent means for which is reciprocatory relatively to another,

means for forcing the cane crosswise of said cutting mechanism, and means for subsequently cutting the cane near the ground.-

, 8. In a machine for cutting sugar-cane, ground knives or cutters, two belts over the cutters arranged to travel oppositely to their corresponding cutters, elevators for receiving the cane cut by said cutters, and rods mounted, at the entering ends of the elevators and adapted to turn the cane cut by the cutters into a longitudinal position on said elevators.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set'my.

hand in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS WILSON SLOANE.

Witnesses:

THOMAS JOSEPH COUPLAND, CHARLES EDWARD GRAHAM. 

